New to planted tank advice

Morning All, - I am coming ( I hope ) to the end of my fishless cycle ( Just starting week 6 of cycle ). I added 5 bunches of plants ( easy grow ) to my aqauarium for some colour on 13th February. I have sand substrate and no co2 injection so LFS when i purchased my plants sold me some Colombo Duo which is liquid fertiliser which I dose 35 doses per week, and liquid carbo which I dose 4 times a day to get co2 in the water, I also got some Seachem Flourish tabs which i have buried in the sand near the plants. My plants appear to be doing ok so far although some leaves are starting to curl yellow or go brown. I read that this is normal in first few weeks as plants adjust to new climate as normally grown outside water in very humid greenhouses. Is this true .? What i would like to know is this.?
1) - Do I dose all in one go the fertiliser or spread out 35 doses over the course of the week.? - I just feel like I am giving them a hearty meal then starving them for the rest of the week.
2) - I have a fluval 307 external filter which came with bags of carbon and phosphate filter pads. - Do i need to remove these are they taking out what I'm putting in before the plants get them.?
3) - Plants help to remove Nitrates correct .? As my Nitrates have start to plummet as i get to the end of my cycle. was at 80ppm before plants yesterday was 20ppm
4) - Is there anything else I should / could be doing.? - I have never had much success with plants in my tanks in the past, and would rather not mess this up. Lights are on for 6 hours a day for the first 3 weeks to allow plants to establish. LFS advise I leave some rockwool around base of roots to help keep in place in substrate - Is that right will it harm fish once I get them in.
I have attached pics of tank and plants used I was assured these are the easiest and hardest to kill.. , but some appear to have brown leaves which I don't think were therebefore planting. Do they just need pruning or is it worse. - I would eventually like to go down the co2 route, but not just yet if all I do is kill anything green.

Sorry for the million and one questions but any advice greatly appreciated.

Hi there!
You really don't need to go crazy with the fertilizer constantly. I really only add ferts to some of my heavily planted tanks like once or twice a week, or if I perform a decent water change. I only add ferts to my tanks of ten gallons or lower every other couple of weeks or so. Consistent water changes will also help with the growth of your plants since you are replenishing the water. Also yes it is absolutely normal for new plants to melt when brought into a new aquarium, just keep up those water changes. Sometimes a common problem with having your plants die on you often is a lack of substrate. Make sure there is at least 2-3 inches of substrate so your plants can grow proper roots to flourish. When it comes to pruning I would definitely remove any dead leaves or stems, they will just decay in the aquarium and may cause fluctuation in your water parameters. Plants are going to act as a natural filter in your tank, although do not rely solely on the plants to filter the water. I would not worry about CO2 right now since your are a beginner, and honestly it really isn't necessary. A great YouTube I watch is MD Fishtanks, he does tons of tutorials on planted tanks and he does all of them with no CO2. As long as you are taking proper career of your aquarium your plants should be fine.

Most liquid CO2 products contain glutaraldehyde as the active ingredient. This is a powerful disinfectant used, amongst other thins, for sterilising heat sensitive medical equipment and in embalming fluid. Even at small overdose it can kill plants and will harm fish.

I won't let this chemical anywhere near my tanks.



Can I ask why you are dosing your liquid fertiliser so often? I dose mine once a week not 5 times a day. What does the pack give as a dose rate?



Carbon will remove the fertiliser, and it's not needed on a routine basis anyway; I would remove it from your filter but keep some in the cupboard to remove medication after treatment if ever your future fish get sick.
Most water does not contain excess phosphate - I would remove the phosphate remover as well.


The rockwool should be removed before planting. I tease it out carefully with a dressmaking pin.

Hi Essjay - Thanks for the answers to my questions. I think i should have made my fertilizer dosing clearer. I don't dose 35 times a week, When i bought Colombo Flora grow i need to dose at 1 squirt for every 5 litre of tank. I have a 200 ltr tank less 15% for wood / substrate etc so work on 170ltrs. 170/5=35 doses/ squirts from pump bottle. - My question was do i dose all 35 on Monday say and nothing til next Monday or say dose half Monday then other half Thursday .?

Do you not recommend " Floragrow Carbo - CO2 Alternative ".? - it was recommended by LFS to get CO2 into tank to aid plant growth. That is only 4 doses/ squirts per day.

I'll remove carbon/ phosphate pad - I can fill space with more Bio media, I'll remove the rockwool also before adding fish. I think my cycle is nearly finished ( however i do have another question for you but will post that on my other conversation i have had with you if i may.? )

Many thanks for the help and advice you have given me and kept me sane.

I don't recommend any liquid CO2 products.

The only tanks which need CO2 are those tanks which are heavily planted with high-tech plants and only a few fish. Tanks which are well stocked with fish get enough CO2 from the fish and the bacteria in the substrate make it as well. I know you are at the end of cycling so you don't have fish yet, but you will have them soon.



Fish shops make money from selling things, and many will tell you you must have things which you don't really need.
The echinodorus will benefit more from root tabs than liquid fertiliser - Seachem Flourish root tabs are one of the best. But I don't know whether the two stem plants need root tabs - I'll have to leave that to the plant experts.